Get ready for a different type of government incentive.
Aside from state tax incentives of varying amounts, there s been a $7,500 federal tax credit for a few years now. Both General Motors and Tesla have already exhausted their allotted 200,000-credit ceilings. Both automakers are pressuring the Biden administration to reinstate them as part of a greater effort to entice more Americans to buy electric vehicles. But here s the kicker: mainly only wealthy consumers have been able to take advantage of that federal credit because EVs are expensive to begin with.
The Tesla Model 3, the company s cheapest model, begins at $35,000, though that s below the estimated average new vehicle transaction price of $40,857. The Porsche Taycan starts at $80k. More affordable EVs are on the way and the government wants to entice consumers with a new initiative.
A Continuation Platform
Mazda is currently working on a new FR architecture that will underpin future rear-wheel-drive models like the next-gen Mazda 6 and Mazda CX-5. But while a modular platform of this type may seem like an ideal fit for the MX-5, these vehicles will all be compatible with hybridization, and crucially, all-wheel-drive, which adds weight and complexity to the platform.
This goes against the Miata ethos, which is why we re more inclined to believe that the NE (fifth-gen) MX-5 will ride on an advancement of the current H-frame Skyactiv chassis. In this way, the NE will be to the ND as the NB was to the NA - an advancement and a refinement more than a completely revised model. In doing this, Mazda will be able to retain current developments and reduce the development costs. And, considering the ND is the lightest and smallest since the original, the NE will still be suitably compact and lightweight.
Power versus weight.
The Dodge Durango was never the type of vehicle that we expected to morph into a performance car. But after the Hellcat engine was fitted to it, it has proved itself good enough to hang with some very special metal. We ve seen the six-seater take on a Lamborghini Urus and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, and its AWD system is good enough to leave a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 for dead, at least for the first gear or two. But how would a Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat fare against something lighter but with less power, something like the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray?
A fully electric powertrain in the full-size luxury sedan class would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. This is a segment much more associated with large-capacity V8 and V12 engines; these gas-guzzling powerplants were always as much about their power and performance as they were a status symbol.
That s all changed with the arrival of the new Mercedes-Benz EQS, essentially a fully electric version of the S-Class. Mercedes has given it an identity all of its own, a remarkably high-tech cabin, and either one or two potent electric motors depending on the trim you go for. Does it shake up the luxury sedan segment as we ve always known it? Let s dive in and find out.